Should
more authors and publishers issue an audiobook version of their books?
According
to the sales reported for audiobooks the answer is a resounding yes.
The
Audio Publishing Association says sales revenue from audiobooks rose by 18.2%, from 2015 to 2016. Sales totaled 2.1 billion dollars.
Unit
sales rose dramatically – by 33.9%- to 89.5 million. Ssales reported were based
on 20 audiobook publishers. The number of titles from these publishers is
booming. There were 43.1% more
audiobooks published last year than in 2015, topping 50,000 for the first time
ever.
Digital
downloads take the lion's share, accounting for 82.4% of all audiobook sales -- up
from 76.8% a year ago.
But
there’s room to grow. 76% of Americans
didn’t listen to a single audiobook in 2016, according to a study by Edison
Research. The market is far from
saturated.
Audiobooks
add another sales channel for authors.
The content already exists – why not do an audiobook? People consume books in all formats and
fashions. To meet the demand of
consumers, authors and publishers should issue audiobooks for new books and
even some backlist titles.
Given
the popularity of podcasts, it’s no surprise that audiobooks are growing. Further, with the ability of consumers to
easily download an audiobook to any device, 24-7, you can see why audiobooks
are growing. They offer an element of
theater – you don’t have to watch or read, just listen. Audiobooks are perfect for vacations, travel
time, exercise, and when running errands.
Sometimes we need to restores eyes and music or radio talk shows don’t
captivate u like audiobooks.
Audible.com,
owned by Amazon, appears to dominate the audiobook market. The most popular audiobook genres in 2016,
according to goodereader.com, were mystery, thriller, romance, and
fantasy/science fiction.
So
where do you go produce an audiobook?
Check out:
Infinity
Publishing
Dog
Ear Publishing
CD
Baby
eBookit
Audiobook Creation Exchange.
Online
distribution outlets include:
Overdrive
Downpour
Big
Happy Family
PW
estimates an audiobook could be produced, recorded, proofed and mastered for
around $3,500.
Another
growth area would be translated audiobooks. Why not do one in Spanish, Chinese
or some other popular language? You can
then sell your audiobook overseas or to Americans who prefer non-English
content.
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